The invention relates generally to an earth-trenching tool and in particular to a trenching tool attachable to the bucket of earth moving equipment, such as a front-end loader or a skid-steer loader.
Trenches are used in the construction industry for many purposes, e.g., providing the foundation for the construction of walls, laying pipes, and providing drainage. Building codes require foundation trenches to be a specific width and depth depending on the soil type and frost line depth. Typically earth is evacuated from a building site to form a level pad at or below the frost line using a front-end loader. A trench is then dug below the pad level to be filled with reinforced concrete to provide a foundation for load-bearing walls. It is important that this foundation trench be dug more or less exactly to the specified dimensions, for example, 16 inches wide and 8 inches deep. Too small and it doesn't meet the specifications, too large and material is unnecessarily wasted. When excavated just to the specification, the contractor can accurately estimate the required concrete for the fill. This type of trench is currently dug using a backhoe and the dirt is piled up along side of the trench and must be subsequently removed. Even with a skilled operator, the trench only approximately matches the desired dimensions so laborers with shovels are required to trim it up.
Consequently, there is a need for a trenching tool that can readily dig an accurately dimensioned trench while disposing of the dirt in a single operation. In addition, it is desirable to have an inexpensive, simple to manufacture tool that is readily attached to equipment already on site, such as a front-end loader or skid-steer loader.